Health and wellbeing | 29.12.2016

How to hygge yourself into being happy in 2017

Are you happy? It’s a simple question and one I think we
should ask ourselves as we say goodbye to one year and prepare to begin a new
year.

How busy and stressed were you in 2016? How present and calm
were you? Did you make time for yourself and were you kind to yourself? Did you
connect deeply with your family and friends regularly?

I dare say many of you felt overworked, stressed, time poor
and tired. If that’s the case, now is the time to set your intentions for 2017
and resolve to do whatever you need to do to bring more happiness into your
life.

Take inspiration from the happy Danes. Denmark was
ranked the world’s happiest nation in the 2016 World Happiness Report, scoring 7.526 out of a possible 10 points
(Australia came 9th). Various factors come
into play with the rankings, such as social support, life expectancy, freedom
to make choices, perception of corruption and so on. You can download a copy of
the report here – it’s fascinating reading.

Denmark’s number one
rating prompted people to begin examining why the great Danes are so happy and
one concept that has emerged – and spawned a number of books – is hygge. Hygge (pronounced hoo-gaa) is
a Danish word that describes a feeling or mood that is derived from taking genuine
pleasure in making ordinary, everyday moments more meaningful, beautiful or
special. It's literal English translation is 'cosiness'.

I love the idea of hygge. Not just the
cutesy aspects – like making sure you have cosy areas in your home where you
can snuggle up with a book, or lighting scented candles, or savouring a special meal with
friends.

What I really love about it is that
behind it lies an emphasis on self-kindness. We pressure ourselves so much
these days, especially women. We pressure ourselves to look good, to eat well,
to exercise, to dress well – and we feel guilty when we don’t measure up to the
standards we’ve set for ourselves.

Hygge takes the harshness out and makes
life more about nurturing, savouring, relishing, being present, slowing down,
ditching the guilt, appreciating things like beauty, warmth, love and
gentleness. In our world wracked with media stories of doom and gloom, war,
poverty, climate change, financial stress, inequality – we need something to
bring happiness and gentleness into our lives.

The Danes have absorbed the idea of hygge into their
very beings as a way to get through the long, cold winter. I think 2017 is the
year we can all embrace hygge and see if it helps us be as happy as the Danish
people.

In her book Hygge – a celebration of
simple pleasures, Charlotte Abrahams suggests these ways to bring more hygge
into your life:

Use warm light

Use diffusing light
shades, pendant lights and warm bulbs. Light candles as often as possible. Create cozy zones in your home – think
fireplaces, two-seater sofas in the corner of a room with a blanket, floor
rugs, cushions, modestly beautiful and comfortable furniture made with superb
craftsmanship, rich timbers like teak, comforting accessories (like a wall of
family photos or a shelf of glass jars filled with nurturing foodstuffs),
handmade objects.

Work/life balance

Denmark is a very
family-friendly society. Couples are entitled to 32 weeks paid parental leave,
they work a standard 37-hour week and take five weeks paid holiday leave a
year. It’s not unusual to see dads dropping the kids off to school or picking
them up, and it’s not frowned upon to leave work early due to family
commitments. Reassess your workload and see if there’s a way you could
negotiate more flexibility with your boss.

Eating for pleasure (ie. avoid feeding your health obsession)

Shared meals with
friends and family is very hygge-inducing and it’s not about being restrictive
with food – good guilt has no place at the hygge table. Because hygge requires full and equal participation, fussy food preferences are frowned upon during social meals with friends. Eat slowly, keep the
conversation harmonious and give your guests cake – it makes any get-together a
celebration.

Get involved in your local community

Joining clubs, community organisations and volunteering all contribute to a
sense of connectedness with your local community. It reduces loneliness and
depression and everyone wins.

Celebrate simplicity

Make your own
coffee on the stove, stand and savour the smell as it percolates. Have a
beautiful tea or coffee cup or mug that feels good to drink from. Grow veggies
and pick from your garden each day. Have a picnic, light a fire, peg clothes
perfectly on an outdoor line in the sunshine rather than throwing them hurriedly into a
dryer, bake something, fill a jug with flowers. As you do all of these things,
slow down and focus on the moment.

know when to Raise the white flag

When you’ve
pushed yourself to the limit and you're burnt out, you need to give yourself a break (ideally, do this before you burn out). Danish people
believe hygge is about ‘making time to let your soul catch up with your body’.
To practice self-kindness, treat yourself to little rituals like going for a
walk in nature, getting up early to read, taking the time to chat to a friend
without doing anything else, having a warm bath, make your bed with freshly
ironed sheets, hop in and bliss out.

So there you have it. It's delicious just reading about all the ways Danish people do life, and do it well. From all of us here at Mukti Organics, we wish you a wonderful 2017 full of love, health, happiness and abundance. See you in the New Year!

Have you heard about hygge? What plans do you have to bring more happiness into your life in 2017? leave a comment and you'll go into our bi-monthly prize draw.

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